For David Hille, the 2002 pre-season would have seen him experience conflicting emotions. After the retirement of John Barnes, Hille must have thought the match committee felt he was ready to back up Steven Alessio in the senior side. He then might have been somehwat deflated at the club's decision to lure Paul Salmon out of retirement. It is obviously going to make it harder for him to cement a place in the senior side.
But as the pre-season has worn on Hille will have resolved two things in his mind - Salmon is only a short-term solution and this season now provides him with a great opportunity to learn from one of the game's great players. There is no doubt that Hille is the long-term ruck option for the Bombers. This season will be another important one in his development.
Even with Salmon at the club, Hille is still certain to play senior football duirng the season. Injuries will undoubtedly bob up during the season and Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy has already intimated that Salmon won't play every game. The match committee might also decide to use Alessio as a permanent forward to stretch opposition sides. Either way Hille will get another chance to prove he is moving in the right direction.
Hille managed six games in 2001 and looked more at home in each senior appearance he made. He moves well enough, marks well and is putting himself in the right position more often. He will have learned a lot from last year. There are big things expected form this 20-year-old and Bomber fans will want him to stamp himself as the future this season.
How will he be used?
Sparingly ... with Alessio and Salmon ahead of him, he is unlikely to book himself a permanent place in the senior side. The coaching staff however would love to see him put the acid on the other two with some quality performances in the seniors. When he plays senior football he will probably play in short burts off the bench with the occasional foray forward depending on the match-ups coaching staff are looking for.
What will the coaches want on match day?
The coaching panel will want to see Hille impose himself more at stoppages and get his hand on the football first. With experience they will want him to be continually running into the right places to creating space or providing a marking options. They would also love to see him take some strong contested marks - something he is most definitely capable of doing and something he will back himself to do as his confidence grows.
